By Stephanie Hanson
Usually it’s the bell. But once a year, it’s the drums.
The resonating gong of the bell is a staple at Camp Nebagamon. We have an iconic bell, an old locomotive bell from the days when railroads were a modern marvel, that sits outside the Rec Hall, and it is what wakes us up every morning, and tells us when to move from activity to activity, from rest period to a meal, from evening activity to jop-up (getting ready for bed). It is so important that it is represented by its own physical motion whenever it is mentioned in the Rec Hall. Everyone raises their hands above their heads, with palms pressed together, and shakes their head back and forth between their arms, mimicking the motion of the bell clapper. But on one day each summer, there are two drums that replace the bell. And that day is TGP…The Grand Pursuit…
The Grand Pursuit is a day of pageantry in all aspects from costumes, to music, to food, to the drums. Picture French voyageur tunics, sashes, and tuques. Listen to Envoyon from Riding the Winds by Warren Nelson if you want to get a flavor of the musical track that builds excitement in the days preceding TGP. Imagine the smell of wild rice which is incorporated into every meal. And then there is the rhythmic beat of the drums that provides the heartbeat for the day.
The Grand Pursuit is our second session all-in, all-out, all-camp day of competition. It is a day themed on the period of history, from 1650-1850, when beaver pelts were the economic driver in Wisconsin, and French voyageurs were pursuing the riches that these pelts could provide. Camp is divided into four trading companies: The Hudson Bay company, Lac du Flambeau, North West, and Prairie du Chien (two towns in Wisconsin still bear the name of two of these companies). The morning begins with individual events in which boys can earn “beaver pelts” (the days’ currency) for their companies. The afternoon is filled with team competitions such as push ball, euchre, and the sawbuck relay. And throughout the day, trading companies strategize and execute their decisions on a giant gameboard where they attempt to win the most valuable trading routes through the landscape of lakes and portages in northern Wisconsin. It’s quite complicated and some of us administrator types still don’t grasp the mathematics that is going on in our campers’ heads as they determine the optimal game play for their trading companies!
Our staff deserve so much credit for making this day possible. The six “petite patrons” worked tirelessly, iteratively improving the day from what had been learned in previous years and redesigning schedules, events, and the board game as needed. (The work ethic of these Gen Z staff members bucks the stereotype!) Our specialists pitched in to help assign campers to events and create individual slips for each camper so that they knew where to be and when. Our caretaking staff created all sorts of items for the day and built an amazing bonfire, the culminating gathering point at day’s end. The office facilitated the creation of oodles of paper that informed all the staff about their responsibilities. The infirmary flexed to make sure all the campers still got what they needed during a very hectic day. The kitchen staff toiled in 90-degree weather yesterday baking, roasting, and creating all of our wonderful meals. The counselors ran events, helped corral campers, and stepped in whenever needed to empathize with a disappointed camper or celebrate with them. And our village directors, with boundless energy, led their teams with chants and spirit, compassion and a steady hand. All corners of camp contributed to make this a marvelous day of fun.
One of my favorite traditions of this day are the “sportsmanchips.” These are poker chips that have been rebranded into TGP tokens that are used to recognize campers who are behaving in positive ways throughout the day. It is a tangible recognition of kindness, humility, consideration, teamwork, empathy, civility, patience, and any sort of behavior that deserves recognition. Staff have lots of sportsmanchips to dole out throughout the day, making sure to describe the behavior to the camper, label it and praise it. Then these tokens are collected by the team leaders and each team receives points that contribute to their “beaver pelt” total.
Yesterday, I got to witness all kinds of sportsmanchip worthy behavior – a camper who thanked the staff for running a very fun skee ball event, an older boy who helped a younger boy, who had lost his slip of events, figure out where he needed to go next, a camper who played a significant role in helping his team come from far behind to win the canoe relay respond to congratulations with, “I was just paddling,” a camper for one team full-throatedly cheering on a different team, a cabinmate from another team running over to console his friend who was disappointed in the results of an event, a camper offering to wait while someone else went first, a camper who maintained full politeness and composure during a very frustrating team event, a camper volunteering to step in and participate in an event for another team that was missing a player, and the list goes on.
At camp, we make sure to acknowledge all behaviors, big and small, that deserve recognition because it is the behaviors we pay attention to, define, and attach a name to that we are most likely to see repeated again in the future. And, at Camp Nebagamon, we are always striving to build a community that recognizes and celebrates kindness, humility, consideration, teamwork, empathy, civility, patience, and more.
Until next year, the drums are silent again. This morning our steadfast bell woke us up again to a new day full of possibility. Our campers dove back into a normal day of projects with enthusiasm.
All is well in the Northwoods…
